Scottish Government

2. Main Points

• There were 26,234 firearm certificates on issue at the end of 2006, a decrease of 1 per cent on the previous year, and 16 per cent lower than the number in 1997.
• In 2006, there were 1,156 applications for new firearms certificates, an increase of 7 per cent compared with 2005. There were 1,389 cancellations of firearm certificates and 41 firearm certificates were revoked (see Annex Notes 2 and 12).
• In 2006, 6,605 firearm certificates were renewed, an increase of 2 per cent from 2005 (see Annex Notes 2 and 12). Seventeen applications for renewal were refused.
• The 26,234 firearm certificates on issue at the end of 2006 covered the possession of 66,164 firearms, a 3 per cent increase compared to 2005. This represents an average number of firearms possessed for each certificate of 2.5.
• There were 49,974 shot gun certificates on issue at the end of 2006, a decrease of 2 per cent on the previous year.
• The number of applications for a new shot gun certificate was 1,862 in 2006, almost the same as in 2005. There were 1,844 successful applications in 2006, compared to 2,879 cancellations (see Annex Notes 2 and 12).
• There were 13,400 renewed shot gun certificates in 2006 (see Annex Notes 2 and 12). Thirty applications (0.2 per cent) for renewal were refused in 2006.
• The 49,974 shot gun certificates on issue in 2006 covered the possession of 132,181 shot guns, an increase of 2 per cent compared to 2005. In 2006, the average number of shot guns possessed for each certificate was 2.6.
• Strathclyde, Grampian and Northern police force areas jointly accounted for more than half of all firearm and shot gun certificates on issue at the end of 2006.
• The number of firearm and shot gun certificates on issue per head of population was highest in the Northern police force area and lowest in Strathclyde.